


short lived fury

by AnneKatherine



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Drug Addiction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Related, F/M, Forced Pregnancy, Forgive Me, Future Fic, Geniuses, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kid Fic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Season/Series 12, Pregnancy, Prison, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Season/Series 12, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, episode 22 season 12, quarentine writing frenzy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23297173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneKatherine/pseuds/AnneKatherine
Summary: "You almost guessed it Spencie. You were so close. I'll give you that." Cat smiles, hitting the call button on his phone, "Not close enough to save your mom's life though.""What did I get wrong Cat?" Spencer asked slowly,"This baby, it's yours." She smiled-If Cat Adams wasn't bluffing, in episode 22 season 12, Red Lights.
Relationships: Catherine "Cat" Adams/Spencer Reid
Comments: 4
Kudos: 167





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the order of chapters got really messed up when I saved them as drafts, thanks to user Mjc for pointing it out to me! I reordered everything and it should be good now, please let me know if there are any more problems! Thanks again for reading!

Spencer looks down at the cold silver table in front of him, takes a breath and looks back up towards the woman, Cat Adams, “You want me to admit that I am actually in love with you.”

She pauses a moment, a little smile plays on her lips, and for a second his heart stops and he thinks he’s gotten it right,

“Don’t get more wrong, I love my fairy tales,” She gestures to the elaborate and fancy room they sit in now, “Clearly as much as the next girl,” but sighs and sits back in her seat, “But I’m not delusional.”

“Are you sure about that?” 

“Very sure.” She replies, arms crossed, “So sure, in fact, I had Lindsey leave a clue for you in your little scrapbook in your house.”

Spencer pauses a moment, replaying the note in his mind when Cat interrupts,

“I couldn’t have you come all the way down here and make a guess until I was positive.” She pauses again, “That is until I tested positive.”

“What, you’re pregnant?” Reid says 

She stares at him a moment before leaning in towards him, “No Spencer. We’re pregnant.”

Spencer slowly gets up from his seat and considers pacing right out the door, all he wants is away from her. But he settles on shifting his weight back and forth as he points out how utterly impossible that is in the first place, after silently signaling to JJ to go check her medical records.

“Even if you are pregnant, the baby’s not mine,” he states certainly but continues to fidget.

“Except for the part where it is.” 

“That’s completely preposterous. You’ve been in prison.” He returns to his seat hoping the nerves in his hands and legs will work themselves out.

“So have you.”

“And we never-” Spencer starts,

“I know. We’ve never...” she shrugs with a smile, after a pause, “Ask me how I did it.”

“How did you do it?” Reid says finally,

“I had Lindsey do you in Mexico. You lost time, and I gave her very specific instructions to get you in the mood.” She laughs

“What, did she pretend to be you?”

“Why, would that have worked.”

“No.”

She smiles in response, “Yeah I know. Believe me, I know where I stand on Spencer Reid’s hot or not list.”

She continues, “I told her to pretend to be Maeve.”

Spencer’s eyes start to unfocus like when he couldn’t see very well as a kid, his ears start ringing. He can barely make out what she’s saying anymore except for the soft, 

_“Spencer. It’s Maeve. It’s ok. You want this. You want this.”_

“It didn’t happen.”

She starts to pick baby names and the ringing gets worse, she’s mocking him, mocking Maeve. He strides out the door and avoids JJ’s eyes.

He takes the file out of JJ’s hands without even listening to her, just scans it for a confirmed pregnancy which he finds near the bottom.

“The timeline matches.” echos in the room,

Before he can stop himself, he chucks the folder at the double glass, startling JJ. He apologizes before asking for a minute alone.

JJ picks up the call with shaking hands but she can barely listen to the debrief Prentiss gives the team and herself. When Emily asks for the information she got from Adams all JJ can do is ask to be taken off the speaker, and brought into a private room.

“Are you kidding me?” Emily yells, “Are you kidding?”

They weigh the probability of this all being some sick lie and come to a conclusion, the baby is either Reid’s or the insider who’s been helping her all along. They settle on dealing with Cat’s bigger plot, but Prentiss tells JJ to have a search done in Cat’s cell in the meantime.

In the end, confessing the secret wasn’t the hardest part, even saying how much he enjoyed punishing the men who were cruel to him in prison wasn’t, it was looking her in the eye and wondering whether or not she was truly capable of what she’d said.

“Almost Spencie.” She grins the last digit entered into the phone, “Wilkins thought it was his, but I made sure it’s yours. Everything else though, brava, fantastic show. Not quite enough to save your mother is it though?”

She hit send and leaned back as if she expected Reid to flinch. Instead, he stood his ground, holding her eye contacts as the phone rang twice before finally being picked up. “Kill her.”

She waited, for the horror in Spencer’s eyes to set in, the tears to fall. But he only stared into her eyes harder waiting for her to blink. A moment passed and she heard nothing from the other line. “Lindsay? I said-”

“You bitch.” Lindsay spat. “You’re pregnant?”

Cat’s eyes shot up towards the camera in the corner closest to the door. She tried to talk her way out of it but Reid could tell from the way her back sunk even though she knew it was over. Lindsey was seconds away from surrendering. 

JJ comes in moments later confirming it, and Cat sits back in her chair, “You guessed right. Except for the baby. We do deserve each other.”

“You lied.” Reid responded, “You were going to kill my mom either way.”

“I think you really enjoyed hurting those men.” She says, “And once you cross that line, you can’t go back.”

Reid crouches down next to her a moment and slides his watch of her wrist, before looking up to her, “Watch me.”

As he walks out of the interrogation room, she starts screaming, “How do you want to watch this Maeve die?”

His reunion with his mom almost wipes away the memories of the day. Taking a moment to hug the team again, and actually talk to his friends leaves him giddy and hopeful. Till JJ pulls him aside as the BAU members start heading home. 

“Spence.” JJ says softly, “We searched Wilkins and Cat’s possessions. An insemination instrument was found along with evidence of your DNA.” 

Spencer’s breath hitches, and before he can stop it the bile rises up through his throat and he runs to the nearest garbage can and vomits. JJ stands beside him a moment, not touching him, just waiting.

“This doesn’t mean the child is yours, Reid.” JJ starts, “There’s ample evidence Wilkins and Cat had a sexual relationship.”

“It’s not about that.” Spencer says once he catches his breath, “It means she was telling the truth. About Mexico. About what she did to me.”


	2. Chapter 2

“All we can do is wait now, Spence. The prison medics will perform a paternity test first thing tomorrow, and Garcia is having the results rushed.” JJ said, setting her hand on Spencer’s arm,

“I don’t care about that, not right now.” Reid sputters, “I didn’t realize- I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know what?”

“I thought it was a dream,” Spencer said, finally slumping into a bench against the wall, JJ sits next to him.

“You.. you remember it?” JJ said, “I thought you couldn’ recall anything, it took weeks before you could even remember the murder.”

“I know.” Spencer muttered, ”I never told anyone because I didn’t think it was real. I’ve had dreams about her before, but never like that. I figured it was put there by my brain to cover up any trauma I face in that motel room, but really that was the trauma.”

“Everything then?” JJ asks tentatively, 

“Yeah,” Spencer said, “And the longer ago it was, the more the haze of drugs faded, the more I could actually see. The more I know of what really happened.”

“Can you tell me, Spence?” JJ said, pulling a small notepad out, with a pen, “It could be useful in the case against Lindsey and Cat.”

“She told me she was Maeve, and it was ok because I wanted this.”

JJ shudders but writes down what he said,

“She performed oral sex on me for about five minutes give or take then once I was fully erect, she put on a condom and began having penetrative sex with me.”

JJ puts down her pen, “Spencer, you don’t have to if you don’t-”

“Once I ejaculated, she stopped, took the condom off, tied it at the top and put it in her bag. She seemed pretty disgusted with the whole process, which makes more sense now that I know she’s a lesbian. But she also seemed confused. She obviously didn’t know Cat’s plans, she just thought this was a new way to hurt me.”

“And then what?” JJ said 

“She pulled my underwear and pants back up, gave me the keys to a car, and told me to start chasing her.”

“And you did this?” JJ says,

“I almost stopped.” Spencer sighed, “I looked over and saw Rosa- I mean Nadie. She was covered in blood but I still recognized her. The drugs were only just hitting my system though, I don’t even remember the car chase. If Linsday had waited for another five minutes I probably wouldn’t have remembered her...”

JJ sighed, “And you’re ok with this being put into evidence?”

Spencer nodded,

“I need to go, your room should be just down the hall, right across from your mom’s, ask a nurse for help finding it if you need to.”

Spencer nodded again.

“And Spence, is it ok if I tell the team what happened?”

He thought it over a moment, before nodding a third time, and returning JJ’s tentative smile as she headed for the elevators. 

As he watched the doors shut he could still hear whisperings, “You want this Spencer.”


	3. Chapter 3

Reid surprised himself by coming to the BAU the next morning, but he shocked everyone else.

JJ and Garcia assured him he could get the results from his room, but he said he wanted to get out of the hospital. Really he was having trouble seeing a difference between the small cramped room in Mexico and the one he stayed in now.

He sits at his desk and pretends not to notice all the eyes bearing into his neck, slowly this is getting worse than the hospital. Everyone must know, even people outside his team are giving him sideways looks or pitiful glances, he’s ready to stand up and march out when Prentiss appears at his side,

“Let’s go for a walk, Reid.” She says smiling but her eyes are cold and are glancing around at the less subtle gawkers.

He’s about to decline in favor of going back to his apartment, despite it still being an active crime scene, and waiting there, when Prentiss squeezes his shoulder, “Get you out of the bureau of snakes.”

He can’t help but smile at that, he follows out of the office and ignores the eyes that follow him.

Once they’re out of earshot Prentiss turns to him, “I’m going to be speaking to someone about this. Someone important and angry.”

“You’re important. And you seem angry.” Reid points out,

“Damn right I am.” She exclaims, “I’m sorry. I did have a question to ask you, in addition to saving you from that… public humiliation.”

Reid smiles, “Thanks, for that by the way. What’s the question?”

Prentiss pauses, “If this child does turn out to be yours, what are you planning on doing?”

Reid furrows his brow, the back of his neck is suddenly hot and he wants to pace again.

“I- I umm…” he starts,

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, or you’re unsure.”

“No, I know the right thing to do.”

“And that is?” Prentiss prompts

“Keep it.” Reid says simply, “It’s my kid, my DNA, my biological offspring. I have means, financial and emotional.”

Prentiss raises a brow at emotional, but ignores it for the time being, “There is no right thing to do in this situation.”

“Yes, there is. I’m not going to be like my dad, I’m not just going to abandon it.” Spencer says,

“That’s different and you know it.” 

“It's not.”

“Your dad chose to have children in a marriage.” Prentiss said, “He left an eight-year-old boy in the care of someone who he knew was unable to provide that care. You were raped, Spencer.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Yes, you were.” Prentiss said, “I read JJ’s report on your account after gaining clarity from the drugs you were dosed with. You absolutely have the option to give this child up for adoption.”

“It’s different!” Spencer says suddenly,

“So female rape victims should be forced to carry and raise children resulting from their attacks?” Prentiss asks,

“No, no.” Spencer says, “But I don’t have to carry it, that type of trauma is different.”

“So you being forced to look at the product of your rape, that could have caused a relapse, that manipulated your dead girlfriend against you, that wouldn’t be traumatic?”

Spencer sighed, defeated.

“Both genders experience trauma, Spencer. You giving this baby up for adoption might be the best thing you can do for yourself and your child.”

Spencer nods in silent agreement.

“Not to mention all of that on top of the physical and mental trauma of going to prison, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit. You’re going to need therapy before you can come back to the BAU full time, you can’t raise a child under those conditions.”

Spencer blinked, “Therapy?”

Prentiss nodded, “Yes, all team members have psych evals before being reinstated-”

“Yeah, a psych eval is different from attending therapy!” Spencer cries,

“You’re a special case. You were unjustly imprisoned, assaulted. No one will think you’re weak because you took the time to deal with that trauma.”

Spencer gulped, “Oh yeah, what about every secretary and pencil pusher who was staring me down back in the office?”

“They’re not judging you, Reid” She sighs, “They’re curious, this is like some prime time drama to them.”

“Well, I'm very glad they were entertained.”

“Spencer. I’m sorry, you can’t return to work without logging the appropriate therapy hours and passing a psych evaluation. It’s unsafe.”

“I just wanted to go back to normal. To forget all of this.” Spencer says slowly

“You can’t just ignore it. Even if it’s not yours, it’s not healthy to pretend nothing happened.” Prentiss replies, “The FBI can’t allow you to return until you deal with this and are cleared to come back.”

She steps closer towards him and pats his shoulder, “We want you back, but we want you to be healthy and happy more.”

“Why should I come back anyways.” Reid says suddenly, brushing her hand away, “When I was charged with murder, the FBI left me hanging. Now they want me to jump throw hoops just to come back?”

“It’s not jumping through-” Prentis starts,

“It is.” Reid says, “It is and you know it. Maybe I won’t come back at all.”

Prentiss is silent for a moment, and Reid instantly regrets his words. He thinks about apologizing when his phone starts ringing in his pocket.

Both their attentions snap at the phone Reid pulls out. He just stares at it ringing for a second when Emily says, “You can let Garcia leave the results on your voicemail. Or I could answer it for you.”

Spencer swallows and shakes his head, “No. I have to know. I have to.”

He answers the call, and brings it to his ear with a shaky breath. Prentiss can hear Garcia talking on the other line, but can’t make out her words. She doesn’t need to understand when she sees Spencer’s face crumble.

He hangs up and starts walking to the end of the hallway out the door, and drops the phone on his way out.


	4. Chapter 4

Cat goes into labor a week before her due date, and she’s not happy about it.

As she’s rushed the hospital she cries, “I’ll kill him!” her hands locked to the bars of her bed, “I’ll kill him, and I’ll kill it!”

The doctors are trained to ignore her by now, and they bustle around her busy preparing. JJ and Prentiss watch from the back, careful to stay out of Cat’s line of sight, weary about setting her off. 

Cat is preoccupied, screaming at a doctor for some sort of medication, which she’s denied, “Ma’am I’m sorry it’s the procedure.”

She jumps at the doctor who flinches, but she’s still chained to the bed, “Get these off me. This is illegal.”

She starts screaming at them again, when the doctor who’d been jumped at came up to them, “Is this really necessary? While she’s giving birth?”

JJ frowns, “She’s incredibly dangerous.”

“She’s harmless right now. She’s in pain, and the handcuffs aren’t helping.” 

JJ says, “Give her meds if she asks again, but don’t touch the cuffs.”

The doctor nods, unsatisfied but turns away.

“JJ, why would you do that?” Prentiss says,

“He’s right. Childbirth is painful. Giving her drugs will make her less dangerous.”

“She deserves a little pain,” Emily mutters,

“If you deny her human rights, you’re no better than her.”

“That’s bullshit.”

JJ shrugs, “Maybe it is.”

They’re moved closer by the doctors who are still walking in a flurry around them and Cat, when she notices them, “Agents! So glad you could come!”

Prentiss rolls her eyes, “We’re not here for you.”

Cat laughs, “Oh I know. Is Spencie here? Did he come to see me?”

“No. He’s not here.” JJ replies, 

“Well send him a message then.” Cat says smiling, “Wherever he takes this baby, I’ll find him and I’ll find Maeve, and I’ll gut them both.”

“You’re not leaving prison for a long time after this,” Prentiss says

“I’ll get out one way or another, maybe I’ll fuck him again, personally this time.” Cat smiles at their reactions

“You’re never seeing him again.” JJ says, “Never.”

“I did it once. From prison.” Cat laughs, “You really have no idea what I’m capable-”

She’s cut off by her own scream, JJ and Prentiss jump back startled,

“It’s happening!” One doctor yells, “She’s crowning!”

Another rushes to her side, “Push Ms. Adams!”

“No!” She screams, “Let it die inside me!”

“Ms. Adam’s your own life is in danger if you don’t push, you’re losing a lot of blood.”

“Let us die! Let Maeve haunt him!” She cries another contraction hitting her,

“This will make her push!” The doctor who’d asked for her handcuffs off earlier rushed in with a needle, he quickly injects it into her IV, and Cat starts screaming again.

“It’s coming!” another yells, Cat screams one more time before they hear the soft cry of a baby.

The doctors silently wrap it up, and clean it, 

“What is it?” Cat yells, “Is it a boy? Is it Maeve?”

Prentiss and JJ silently leave the room with the doctors caring for the baby, Cat yelling at them, and trying to hit the doctors around her.

When they get to the room across the hall, the doctor smiles, “It’s a girl.”

JJ smiles, “Can I hold her?”

The doctor gives her to JJ, who just looks at the sleeping baby for a moment.

“This may be difficult, but you can’t tell Adams anything about this baby, for her safety and for the father’s.”

The doctor nods, “I’m… familiar with the case. They let me know when I questioned how quickly the adoption processing had been.”

“It was very quick, we thought it was best to remove the child from the mother as soon as possible.”

“Well, the couple should be cleared in just a few minutes, you can wait in the meantime.” He gives them another smile and leaves.

“Spencer picked this couple outright?” JJ asks finally,

“Handpicked, he researched them for weeks. She’ll be safe with them.”

“He didn’t leave any name suggestions, did he?” JJ asks, “Some adoptive parents will take that into consideration.”

“No. I haven’t actually seen or spoken to him in weeks.”

JJ looked up, “You haven’t seen him either?”

“Nope.” Prentiss shook her head, “He left the names of her adoptive parents with Garcia. She said he sounded alright. A little sad.”

“He’s coming back though?” JJ asks,

Prentiss paused, “He said maybe he wouldn’t. Right before he found out he was the father. He feels betrayed by the agency. And he was very opposed to any sort of therapy.”

“But after everything he’s been through...” JJ sighs,

“I know.” Prentiss agrees, “He’ll have to choose that on his own.”

JJ’s quiet a moment, “Do you want to hold her?”

Emily smiles, “Yeah.” 

Just as JJ gives the baby to her, the couple walks in.

“Oh, hello there!” The woman says, “We’re the O’Riley’s, they said you would be expecting us.”

Prentiss nods, “Yes, this is her.”

The woman gasps, “A girl?”

Emily nods, “Would you like to hold her?”

She nods, “I’m Ava, this is my husband Louis.”

Louis waves beside his wife, as Prentiss gives the baby to Ava, “She’s perfect. How could anyone give her up?”

Emily smiles, lips tight, “I should go.”

She strides out the door, and the couple looks to JJ confused, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. It’s just… You’re aware of the circumstances of her birth, right?”

“What? No.” Louis says, 

“You marked on your file with the adoption agency you were ok with any circumstances, is that still true?”

“Yes of course,” Ava says, “But what circumstances are you talking about.”

“This baby is the product of rape,” JJ says quietly, but maintains eye contact, gauging their reactions.

“Should we be worried about retaliation?” Louis says, “Does the father know she got pregnant? Is he in jail?”

“It was the father who was the victim.” JJ says, “The mother is incarcerated, and will be transported back to prison on multiple charges including this rape.”

Ava was quiet for a moment, but Louis kept looking to JJ.

“I’ll ask again, are you ok with all this, do you still want to adopt her?” JJ asks, 

“Of course we do.” Louis answers and Ava beams up at him, “As long as everyone’s safe, I’d be more than happy to take this little girl.” 

JJ nods, “I think you two will be terrific parents.”

Ava and Louis barely hear her, since the baby just woke up at their voices, JJ walks out giving them one last glance.


	5. Chapter 5

Garcia walks into the office that day, absolutely positive Reid will be there. She’s certain today is the day. 

His desk is still cluttered, the way it has been for the past couple of months. Organized chaos, everyone is too scared or sad to touch. Reid is nowhere to be seen.

“He’s not in?” She asks Rossi, who just shakes his head, “It’s been months Garcia.”

“Six since...” She does say it aloud, but his baby had been born six months before. That’s why she was so sure he’d come back today. Six months is a totally natural period of time to be gone.

Rossi shrugs, “Taking time is important. If he’s coming back, we won’t rush him.”

She walks to her office, without the pep in her step she’d had before, and JJ catches her on the way,

“Will you run the search now Garcia?” She asks, “It’s been six months.”

“It feels wrong. He’s our friend.”

“He’s been radio silent. We don’t know anything anymore, and all the published articles about him have been stripped from the internet. Do this just so we can have peace of mind.”

“I’m not doing anything illegal.” She says,

“Just look at his FBI files, see if there’s any info there?”

Garcia nods, JJ shoots her a smile and walks back to the main office.

Her office looks neat and organized as always, but the pit in her stomach unsettled her.

She gets right to it, searches Reid’s name in her database, her heart sinks when his file comes up as no longer employed, and she can’t help but dig deeper.

“You find anything?” JJ says the next day,

“I found lots, but you won’t like it.”

JJ groans, “He’s not doing well?”

“He’s doing great, but he’s not working for the FBI anymore.”

JJ stops walking, “What?”

“He resigned the day she was born. The bureau had been forcing him into some type of therapy, so he quit on the spot. He’d started working for some top-secret NASA project days later. I couldn’t find anything on it besides his name and the department. That’s all I know.”

“He’s moved out of his apartment. He quit his job. It’s like he’s moving on.”

“Without us,” Garcia adds.

“Without us.” JJ agrees.


	6. Chapter 6

Sage ignores the cramps in her fingers, typing furiously on the keyboard, she doesn’t look over at her friend Georgia who sighs dramatically before flopping backward onto her own bed across the room.

“Sage. We’ve been at this all day.” Georgia says, “When you said you want to stay here over the break, this isn’t what I had in mind.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Sage replies curtly, “But this is sort of important.”

“Is it?” Georgia says,

Finally, she’s caught Sage’s attention, her eyes snap to her friend, “Is it important my entire life is a lie? Yes. Yes, it is!”

“Plenty of people are adopted. It wasn’t cool of your parents not to tell you but-”

“But what?” Sage says, “I should cherish them because they chose me? Well, I’m less interested in a couple of liars than I am in my real family.”

“They’re still your family.”

“Are you gonna sit here and distract me or are you going to help me unseal these files?”

“I’ll help you,” Georgia sighs, turning back to her computer, “But there’s no way to break into these, I don’t know who has this type of power but it’s military-grade firewalls, and virus protection.”

“I’ve got information to go off of, I can find them,” Sage says.

“You have a name. One name, you don’t even know if it’s his first or last.”

“And I have his job,” Sage says,

“His last known job, and you don’t even know his department.” Georgia clarifies, “That was seventeen years ago, and there’s no record of anyone named Reid working there anymore.”

“Woah.” Sage says, “I… I think I did it.”

“You broke in?” Georgia says, jumping off the bed to look.

“Yeah,” Sage says, “We’re officially in closed FBI files.”

“What’s his name?” Georgia asks, 

“Spencer Reid. Born in Las Vegas, 1981. Graduated high school at twelve, went to Caltech, finished his degree and got a doctorate by seventeen.”

“Damn, he really is your dad,” Georgia says, then turns back towards her own computer, “What’d you say his name was again? Spencer Reid?”

Sage looks towards her friend, “Yeah?”

Georgia pauses, staring at the screen before turning it to Sage, “He looks...”

“Holy shit, he looks just like me...”

“There aren’t any recent articles but whoever wiped him off the internet couldn’t get rid of old newspaper articles.”

“Like paper newspaper articles?” Sage asked,

“Yeah, these are super old. This is his first case with the FBI, the Behavioral Analysis Unit. He was twenty-two.” She paused, “Sage come look at this.”

Sage gets up off her bed and looks towards her friends turned a computer, to the paper clipping on the screen. “Jesus.”

“He looks exactly like you.” Georgia says, “Like weirdly like you.”

“Well, there’s no doubt then. He’s my dad.” Sage says, “But why can’t I find anything on my mom?”

“He was in the FBI, maybe he fell in love with a spy from another country, a torrid love affair, that would explain why he left immediately after.”

“That wouldn’t make my mom unable to care for me though,” Sage wonders out loud,

“Unless the US government doesn’t want anyone to know about the relationship, they could’ve covered it up.”

“That would explain why my dad’s name is the only thing on my birth certificate that’s not redacted.”

“Well, it looks like we’re gonna take a field trip!” Georgia says, “The FBI holds tour and info sessions all the time, we can find one for the BAU and maybe find someone who knew your dad.”

Sage nods, “They won’t even see us coming.”

Finding such a specific tour was more difficult than initially expected, Georgia had to call in a favor, and Sage had to plead with a low-level FBI agent to make room for them, but in the end, the feeling of walking into the BAU office was worth it.

“This is the bullpen, our agents do paperwork here.” The guide says, “The interesting stuff happened in the closed meeting rooms, that’s where they received and worked on cases.”

“Are we going in any of them?” Georgia asks, raising her hand,

“They’ve cleared one out for us to look at but the cases are usually classified.”

The tour itself is a snooze. Georgia seems pretty interested, but Sage hasn’t seen any agents who look like they’ve been here long enough to have worked with her father.

They finish the tour in an empty meeting room, the guide starts to close by thanking them when a slightly out of breath blonde strides in, “Sorry we’re late, we just got back from a case.”

The guide sends her a glance but smiles, “No problem at all Agent Garcia, anyone else going to join us?”

She nodded, “Prentiss and JJ are right behind me, but everyone else bowed out… long night.”

The guide shrugs, “The floor is yours.”

Sage has to admit this agent is much more interesting, or at least more animated, she tells them about their latest case, chasing a serial killer who stays in their victim’s home until the last possible minute before the police arrive. Two more agents join her after a few minutes but remain silent through her presentation.

“They get the release from the adrenaline, seeing how far they can push it, but that was their mistake in the end. Questions?”

Sage raises her hand, “What’s gonna happen to him now?”

Garcia pauses a moment before answering, “He’s being held in a local prison, awaiting transfer.”

“Are you guys going to testify against him?”

“Sometimes we’re called in to show how we caught him but usually it’s the arresting officers that are called as witnesses.”

Sage nods and shoots a look to Georgia when the agent goes to answer another question.

“Did you see the way she looked at me?” Sage whispers, “She definitely knew him.”

Georgia nodded, “And if they’re all on the same team, those two probably knew him too.”

After the agents finish their talk, the guide starts asking them to exit with him, Sage takes one more look at the agents before heading out the door.

She gets to the main door before she finds the guide, “I’m so sorry, I forgot my jacket, can I go get it?”

He nodded annoyed, “Be quick.”

She heads back to the office, the agents have probably left the empty room by now, but she spots the first blonde woman heading down a hallway, “Hey!”

The woman turns towards her surprised, “Oh, hi! You were in that last tour group, right?”

“Yeah, I just had a few more questions?”

“Sure,” She smiles, “I’m agent Garcia,”

“Sage.” She replies,

“Have I met you before Sage? You look incredibly familiar.”

Sage shakes her head, “Not that I know of, sorry.”

“So what’d you want to know?”

“How long has your team been operating for?” Sage says, and quickly covers it with, “And how many cases have you solved?”

“Oh the BAU has been around forever, but this team has been in operation for about thirty years, give or take, though we’ve had a lot of personnel changes, I think Agent Jareau and myself are the only originals.”

“What happened to the people on the original team, did they go somewhere else in the FBI or get a different job?” Sage asks, 

“It’s different for everyone depends on their skill set,” Garcia says, 

“What if my skill set was-” Sage starts, but Georgia comes up behind her, 

“Sage, the guide is about to come looking for you himself, we’ve got to go.”

Sage nods, “Ok, bye.” She smiles at Garcia but as they turn around it melts into a scowl, “I was close to Georgia, I could’ve found him.”

“You’ll find him,” Georgia says, 

Garcia has a pit in her stomach for some reason, and it’s really starting to bother her, “Prentiss?” 

Emily looks up from the file she’s reading, “Yup?”

“Did you think a girl from the tour looked familiar?” 

“The one who came up to you after?” JJ asks,

Garcia nods, and Prentiss says, “Maybe a little?”

“Why? What are you thinking?”

“Just something that’s bugging me, she said her name was Sage, but I don’t know what school she was with, it was a mixed program.”

“You’re gonna find her?” JJ says,

Garcia turns to her computer, JJ and Prentiss shoot each other a look, 

“I’ve got a theory,” Garcia starts, “On where I know her from.”

After a moment of typing she pauses, “I found her.”

Prentiss and JJ get up from their seats to look, “You found her off her first name alone?”

“No.” Garcia says, “I looked up her adoption records,”

“How’d you know she was adopted?” JJ says, 

“JJ. Look.” Prentiss points to the top of the page, the line labeled ‘father’

“Oh shit,” JJ says,

“Oh, shit indeed.”


	7. Chapter 7

Prentiss shuffles through the next five feet of snow before she has to stop to take a breath. Even with her heavy jacket and insulated snow pants, the chilly air around her gets inside and makes her shiver. 

“Come on Agent, just a few more and we’ll be at the camp!” She looks up to her travel guide, a younger man she forgets the name of, he’s wearing just as much equipment as she is but his breath is considerably lighter and he’s making much better time. She needs to start working out a lot more after this.

She eventually does make it to base camp, about halfway up some mountain in Antarctica, where a research team has been stationed for about six months. She falls into a couch so fast she doesn’t even look around the room for a few minutes as she gets her bearings.

“Agent Prentiss?” Her guide asks slowly, “We need to be heading back soon, or we’ll have to stay for a week.”

Her eyes widened in shock, “A week?”

“Yep, storms heading our way now, we’ve only got an hour to leave before it’s too dangerous, every minute we stay makes it even riskier.”

She pauses just a second, “This won’t take long, can you find me the person in charge?”

He just points to a man sitting near the end of the makeshift house, “That’s Dr. Wilson, he’s been head of this project as long as I’ve been guiding.”

She nodded and made her way to the man’s side, “Dr. Wilson?”

He looks up at her surprised, “Oh hello, didn’t know we were expecting company.”

“I would’ve called ahead, actually I tried too many times, but there are no communication lines set up for this base.”

“We tried to set up some phone lines,” Wilson chuckles, “They got knocked out every other week, it was more hassle to keep putting them back up, we don’t get many calls anyways.”

“Well, I’m here to see Dr. Spencer Reid, he was assisting you on this project?”

“Dr. Reid?” Wilson says, “Fine young man, brilliant really, you need his help?”

“Yes,” Prentiss said, eying the clock and deciding against explaining the situation,

“Well he left just a few days ago, he’ll be home by now.”

Emily’s gut sank, “He’s gone?”

Wilson nodded.

“Do you have his address? We couldn’t find anything on the database about him.”

“Oh I doubt he keeps a permanent residence at this point, he probably just lives with Beth whenever he’s in town, but the two of them are so often out and about consulting they don’t stay in town long.”

“Liz?” Prentiss asks, 

“Yes, Dr. Liz Allen-Reid, his wife?”

Prentiss paused, again unsure of how much time she had left to get out of them, “Is that her full name? Elizabeth?”

Wilson nodded again, and Prentiss managed a smile despite her churning stomach, “Ok thank you, I really have to go.”

She turns towards the door and Wilson smiles, “Safe travels.”

The climb down is slightly more bearable with gravity working with her rather than against her, but she’s left with her thoughts which makes it worse. 

When she finally makes it down, she thanks the guide, missing his name once again, and goes to call Garcia.

“He wasn’t there.” She says as soon as Penelope picks up,

“But that was his last known location, we have nothing left to go off of!”

“Try this name, Elizabeth Allen-Reid, she’s a doctor.”

“Woah Woah, Allen-Reid? Spencer’s married? Our Spencer?” Garcia says, “Ok fill me in later, I’m looking her up. I should have a more comprehensive list in about an hour.”

Prentiss thanks her and hangs up, before trudging to her hotel room and collapsing.

Sage was having slightly better luck at locating Spencer Reid, “I’m looking through the adoption records again, I managed to crack them last night.”

“You opened them? We’re they sealed by the FBI?” Georgia asks, thumbing through the documents in her lap again,

“Yeah, that’s why they were such a pain in the ass to open, I haven’t really gone through them yet but there’s got to be loads in here.”

“About Spencer Reid?” Georgia asks, 

“About everything.”

It’s another of silent reading before Georgia finds something, “There’s a transfer form in her, from Beth Israel hospital, a woman admitted a day before you were born, and then checked out a few days after, no names or current locations though.”

“That must be my mom, let me check all the birth records, maybe they put her name separate from mine...” She pauses, “Fuck me.”

“What?” Georgia says, “Is that the adoption file? I thought you were going through birth records?”

“This is the file my parents filled out, they were marking down all the stuff they’d be ok with, as different races, or if the kid they adopted was gay.”

“Ok?” Georgia says, “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“There’s a whole section on circumstances of birth.” Sage says simply, “Like if I was HIV positive, or had fetal alcohol syndrome or was premature.”

“Just tell me what’s wrong Sage,” Georgia says, 

“This file… it indicates I was the product of a rape.”

“Oh my god.” Georgia says,

“That’s why my mom’s been covered up, the FBI didn’t want the scandal to get out.”

“It’s worse than that, this transfer said the woman was released from prison for the birth, then immediately sent back, she’s been serving time ever since.”

“What?” Sage says, “My mom’s been in prison this whole time, while my Spencer Reid just got away with it?”

“It doesn’t list any crimes, but she’s serving two life sentences with dozens of other minor charges,” Georgia continues,

“They’ve buried her in false claims, and locked her away so there wouldn’t be any damage to the FBI’s reputation or Spencer Reid’s career!” Sage says, slamming her laptop shut, “What’s the name of the prison?”

“Livelystone Women’s Penitentiary, why?” 

“I’m paying her a visit, she’ll want to know about my plans,” Sage says grimly,

It’s concerningly easy to get into the prison, just a couple falsified documents and a fake research grant, and plenty of doors open. Georgia opts to stay behind, prison scares her, but Sage has no trouble flashing her forged badge a few times all by herself.

“Ms. Chapin?” 

She smiles brightly at the man in front of her, the warden of the jail, “You must be Captain Helmsman.”

“Yes, I understand you were hoping to interview one of my inmates for your research project?”

Sage nods, “Yes, I hope her account will really shed some light on the issue I’m currently looking at.”

“I see.” He pauses, “I have to warn you, she is one of the most terrifying women I have ever met, and I oversee a prison. I can’t imagine what subject you’re looking into, any more than I can imagine she’ll want to help you.”

“I think I’ll have to see for myself,” Sage said shortly, “Thank you.”

The warden only shrugged, and signaled the guard to open the door for her, she walked inside the small room without looking back.

The room was cramped, all grey, and the women in it had pushed her chair to the furthest corner and propped her legs up on the table.

“Go away,” She said simply, “I don’t care who you are or what you want, I don’t talk anymore. Not to anyone.”

“Why is that, Ms. Adams?” Sage says quietly, pulling up her chair to the other side of the table, 

Cat opens her eyes a moment and stares at her, “What are you here for?”

Sage pauses, “I’m just asking a few questions. If you don’t want to answer them, that’s ok.”

Cat narrows her eyes, “Let me guess, good cop?”

“I’m not a cop,” Sage says, 

“Scientist?”

“I’m researching something if that’s what you mean.”

“I guess it is.” Cat shrugs, “What do you want to know?”

“When looking into your case, all the files were heavily redacted, why is that?”

“I wouldn’t know, they don’t exactly consult me on how to file things,” She says, and Sage is quiet a moment, “I mean I’ve done some things I guess.”

“What could you have done to get everything in your file redacted, I mean even your name is covered up.”

“How exactly did you find me then?” Cat says, “And why would you care enough to look up some washed-up inmate?”

“I… I’m very dedicated to this project and-”

“Can I have a guess?” Cat asks, “I’ll bet I can figure it out in three?”

Sage thinks a moment and nods, “Ok, you can guess.”

“You’re rebelling. Growing up all alone, no mom was hard for you? But finding her? Oh, that would show daddy who’s boss. How is Spencer doing by the way?”

Sage’s mouth goes dry. She can’t speak for a second, but she manages to cough out, “How did you know?”

“I know because I’m staring right at him, the second you walked in here I knew.” She cocks her head, “You look just like him.”

Sage sighs and looks down at her hands on the table, “I’m sorry.”

Cat laughs, “Sorry for what?”

“For what he did to you,” She sighs, “Because you’re stuck in here, and he’s out there doing whatever.”

“I’m sorry I’m not following,”

“I haven’t actually met him yet.” Sage says, “but when I do, I promise I’m gonna make him pay.”

“You haven’t met him?” Cat asks, “He gave you up for adoption?”

Sage nods, “I guess he didn’t want to live with his crime.”

“His what?” Cat asks again,

“You don’t have to lie for him, I know everything, I read all the files. I know I’m the product of… of… ”

“Rape?” Cat says, pausing another moment, “You know everything then?”

Sage nods, and Cat continues sighing, “It’s been so hard all these years.”

“I know. It’s so unfair you’re the victim and you’re in here.”

“The real struggle though,” Cat says, reaching out and touching Sage’s hand, “Was being away from you all this time, and knowing that monster was out there.”

Sage nods grimly, “I might not be able to bring him to justice, but I’ll show him I know everything.”

“That means so much.” Cat smiles weakly, “What did he name you?”

“Sage,” She says, “But I think my adoptive parents named me,”

“Oh,” Cat says her lip starts to quiver, “I begged and begged him, but I guess he didn’t care.”

“Begged him to do what?” Sage says,

“I just always wanted to name you Maeve.” Cat shrugs, “When you see him you could call yourself that, he’ll know what it means.”

Sage nods, “Ok, I’ll tell him.”

She clutched Cat’s hand one more time, “I just wish I could have known you.”

“I never would have given you up Maeve.” Cat says, “I knew Reid would never face justice, so I only asked him to let me keep you, I guess he couldn’t even grant me that.”

Sage shook her head, “I promise, I’ll never stop trying to bring him down, no matter what it takes.”

A swift knock on the door tells them time is up, and Sage smiles at Cat as she walks out.

When she’s gone down the hallway, the guards come to bring Cat back to her cell and she starts cackling.

“What’s so funny Ms. Adams?” The warden asks her, 

“Nothing nothing,” Cat sighs, “I think I’ve found someone to do my dirty work for me is all.”


	8. Chapter 8

“And you’re sure this is where he lives now?” JJ asks uncertainty,

Garcia scoffs, “You doubt my skills?”

“No, it just doesn’t feel very Spencer to me at all.”

“Well we’ve haven’t seen him in over a decade, maybe Reid is all white picket fences and backyard barbecues now.” Prentiss interrupts

Garcia had managed to find a small house owned by Liz Allen-Reid in the middle of a small town just outside of Vegas. All the houses looked similar with coordinating colors and green lawns down every block.

“And you’re sure you couldn’t find an address?” Prentiss asks, 

“With all the reconstruction in the area lately the road it says the house is on doesn’t even exist anymore, we’re better off knocking on doors than following this address,” Garcia says

“It’s a small town, they’ll know their neighbors.” JJ says, “We could just ask people on the street.”

Prentiss shrugs, “Alright then,”

She hops out of their car, Garcia, and JJ following close behind, and the first person to walk by them is a younger woman with a stroller,

“Excuse me?” JJ stops her, “Do you know Spencer Reid?”

The woman says, “Dr. Reid? Of course, everyone knows him!”

JJ pauses, “You know where he lives?”

She nods, “He and Liz live right down the block, yellow house third on the left, you’re in luck he’s just gotten back from a trip, I heard it was to Antarctica!”

JJ nods, “Thank you,”

The woman just grins back and continues down the street, Prentiss and Garcia look after her, “Is that normal?”

“For a small town like this?” JJ says, “Yep.”

They get back in the car and only have to drive a few more minutes before they spot a yellow house, “That must be it.”

They get out quietly, passing the two cars in the driveway, JJ says, “This is so weird, I feel like it’s a stranger who lives here.”

“It’s not, it’s just Spencer.” Garcia reminds her, 

They make it to the front porch and Prentiss knocks twice, it’s only a few moments till an older Spencer comes to the door, “JJ? Emily? Garcia?” 

JJ smiles, “Spence!”

He starts to pull her into a hug, when she stops him, “I’d really love to catch up, but this is important. Your daughter is coming to find you, we don’t know what she knows but she came by the bureau and seemed pretty upset.”

Spencer pauses, “Oh, I know, she’s in the living room now.”


	9. Chapter 9

[Ten minutes earlier]

Even though Sage feels like she could throw up, she marches towards the door without breaking her stride and knocks hard. No one answers for a moment, and the corner of her mind starts to wonder, maybe he’s not home? Maybe this isn’t his house after all? The layout of this town was pretty confusing to navigate, maybe she got the wrong one?

Her thoughts were dispelled when a tall man came to the door finally, his hair was scruffy, he had a light beard, and he was dressed casually in a light sweater and jeans. 

“Hi!” He said, “Can I help you?”

Sage paused, she really hadn’t thought through what she would say to him, “I’m-I’m-”

“My daughter?” He guesses, and she stares at him wide-eyed, “Well, you should come in.”

She was frozen a moment, but he stepped back to let him in and after a second she followed him through the small house. He brought her to the living room and sat on an armchair, gesturing for her to sit on one of the nearby couches.

They sit there a moment in silence, before she finally says, “My name is Sage.”

“That’s a beautiful name.” He replies with a smile, “That has a Latin origin, it means wise.”

“I know, it has a double connotation of herbal medicine and was often given to the sons and daughters of healers as late as the 17th century.” She says, and they both pause again.

The second she walked through the front door all her anger had strangely dissipated, she’d expected him to be defensive, to not believe her even, but here she was sitting in his living room going over the origins of her name. 

While her mom sat in prison for crimes she didn’t commit.

That reignited her anger, and she opened her mouth to yell at him when there was another knock on the door.

“Give me one second,” he said, getting up from the couch,

She can hear him talking to someone from the living room, but she can’t quite make out their words, she doesn’t know who it could be till she hears at least a few people’s footsteps heading towards her.

“Sage?” Reid says, “You probably remember Agents Jareau, Garcia, and Prentiss?”

Sage nods, still sitting on the couch as the three agents and Reid file into the living room, “You think you’re friends here are going to stop me?”

“Stop you?” he says, “Stop you from what?”

“Telling you I know what you did,” She says, “To Cat Adams, getting her sent to prison after you raped her!”

They all paused, staring at her in shock, and all the hard work it was to crack her files and track him down was worth it to see his face at that moment.

“I’ve read every file about it, and I know the government covered it up to save face,” She says, again to silence, “And I don’t care if it’s a lost cause, but I’m never going to stop working to get her out of prison and put you behind bars where you belong.”

“Sage,” He says suddenly, “Have you talked to Cat? Did you go see her?”

She looks at him a moment, “Yes. I did. And she told me everything. All she wanted was to have me, to have Maeve, and you couldn’t even give her that.”

He brought his hand down his face, “How long ago did you see her Sage? This is important.”

“I don’t know, less than a day ago, why do you care so much?” She asks,

“Do you know what charges she has against her?” 

“I’m guessing everything you could make stick to her, assault for fighting back maybe?” Sage says, 

“Garcia, send an agent to Dr. Liz Allen, Greg and Ava O’Riley.”

Garcia nods, and walks back towards the front of the house typing into her phone furiously, he turns to JJ, “Go tell the prison to go on lockdown, every security measure they can take.”

“What are you doing?” Sage says, “Those are my parents, why do they need an agent with them?”

Before he can answer, Garcia runs back into the room, “There’s already been a breakout, Cat Adams and two other escaped not long after Cat met with a researcher.”

“That was me.” Sage says, “She’s not going to-”

She’s interrupted by a knock at the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Sage surges towards the door and Spencer goes to follow her, only to be stopped by Garcia, “Is there a backdoor?” She whispers, and he nods, but Cat is already down the hall with Sage at her side and two men with guns behind her.

“Spencie. Been a long time. No visits?” She smiles,

“Mom, you can’t do it like this,” Sage says, “I know it’s not fair but you have to bring him down the legal way, you can still turn yourself back in.”

Cat rolls her eyes, “Jesus christ you never shut up do you? Is this why you sent her away Spence?”

Spencer’s eyes narrow, “You know why I did that.”

She shrugs, “Still. You get any of my letters Maeve?”

Sage pauses, forgetting the name, “Letters? No.”

Cat turns back towards Spencer, “You keeping all my letters then? Where are they Spencie?” She walks towards him slowly, JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia tense as she gets closer but with guns trained on them, there isn’t much they can do.

She traces her finger down his cheek before grabbing his jaw, “Where are ya keeping’ them, Spencer?”

“They’re in the mudroom, top cabinet.” He says through a clenched jaw, she motions for one of her men to go retrieve it, 

“You kept my letters all these years?” Sage exclaims, “Why didn’t you send them to me?”

“I didn’t know what your parents had told you,” Spencer says, as Cat finally lets go of him, and turns to her, “And I didn’t know what kinds of stuff she’d written to you.”

“You don’t get a say in what she writes to me!” Sage yells, “You lost that right when you attacked her!”

Spencer shakes his head silently when Cat starts to laugh, “Oh my god! You’re supposed to be some kind of genius right? How are you being this stupid?”

“Wha-What?” Sage says, “What do you mean?”

“You really think that he could overpower me?” Cat laughs, “He’s a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, and he’s put on weight in the past seventeen years, he couldn’t even if he wanted to.”

“But I read the file, the terms of conception were forced or under duress, the legal terms for rape,” Sage says,

Cat turns back to Spencer, “Under duress? Really Spencie, Linsday told me you were into it. Said you liked it?”

“Fuck you.” JJ spits out, and the armed man sticks his gun closer to her face,

“Well, we have plenty for time to retry now, don’t we?” Cat laughs, “Because I don’t plan on leaving till Spencer Reid loses… and I win.”

“I’ve played your games before Cat,” Spencer says, “I always win, one way or the other.”

“Maybe the battles baby, but I’ve been playing the long game, and I don’t plan on caving this time.”


	11. Chapter 11

“What are you guys talking about?” Sage yells, “He didn’t attack you?”

Cat pauses, “Well technically no, unless you count our little interrogation chat, but I liked to think of that as flirting rather than fighting.”

“How could you?” Sage says, “In the prison, you said- all those things were just… lies?”

“Yeah,” Cat says, “You were so obvious, teenager rebelling, I figured it was against daddy over here, but really it was against the parents wasn’t it? Greg and Ava?”

“Leave them out of this,” Spencer said, “They don’t have anything to do with it.”

“Actually they took something that was mine, so they have everything to do with it.” Cat says, then turns to Sage in a stage whisper, “you know he handpicked them? Took him six months to choose a family, just in time for you to be born, didn’t show up though. I guess we all have our faults.”

“I was there.” Spencer said, and Cat turned to him, JJ, and Prentiss looked at him too, “I was a doctor, my face was masked.”

Cat laughs and claps her hands, “Oh isn’t that precious? Did you like my choice words, they were for you, I was hoping your groupies over there would pass them on.”

“I still don’t understand, who’s Linsday?” Sage says,

“It’s a long story Maeve,” Cat says, “But it all starts in a restaurant, I was minding my business doing my job when Dr. Reid here tries to shut my operation down. He tricks me and I get sent to prison.”

“She was a hitwoman, killing her clients, she held me at gunpoint and rigged a bomb to blow up the whole restaurant.” Spencer clarifies,

“Well, girls gotta have a backup plan.” Cat shrugs, “I bided my time, found out Spencer here was taking secret trips down to Mexico, to get some miracle drug for his mommy dearest, and I sent my good friend Lindsay down there to stir up a little trouble.”

Spencer stayed quiet at that, and Cat continued, “She broke it, knocked him unconscious and murdered his doctor friend, but then, and this is the real genius of my plan, she does him with a fun little cocktail of drugs, she gives him a few little suggestions and he’s putty in her hands.”

“Maeve, you used Maeve,” Spencer says, 

“Who’s Maeve?” Sage asks, 

“Some geneticist who had her brains blown out in front of Spencer here, I guess he had a thing for her.” Cat says, “I figured since she was to credit for your conception, the least I could do was name you after her.”

“You’re sick.” Sage says, “Like clinically insane.”

“It’s called sociopathy, honey, and I’m well aware.” Cat says, “Considering your performance over the past few weeks I think you take after mommy a little bit in that regard. Breaking into FBI files, tracking down the doctor here, impressive. You do seem a bit calm though, considering a bullet right through that big brain of yours would be the perfect way to end Spencie here forever.”

“I’m not calm.” Sage says, “I’m stalling.”

“Stalling what?” Cat says, “The inevitable?”

“No.” Sage says evenly, “I was under the impression Spencer here was a violent rapist, like you said, you gotta have a backup plan.”

“You think someone’s gonna rush in and save you then?” Cat smiles, “I blocked the phone lines before I arrived, there won’t be anymore calls in or out.”

“You didn’t account for the wire I was wearing though, or the signal I have to send to my friend every five minutes to let her know I’m ok. I haven’t signaled in about fifteen.”

“You’re bluffing.” Cat says, “Who would she have called anyway?”

“Well, we actually just went on this very informative guided tour of the FBI, met a lot of people there.” Sage says, “So probably one of them.”

“Fuck.” Cat says stepping back, she points to one of her men, “Come with me, you stay and shoot her.”

Sage blinks, she thinks a moment, had she heard that right? Her mom just ordered she be shot? It feels like time stopped moving, Cat is almost out the door with her guard, the other one is aiming his suddenly very scary gun at her, and she can’t even bring her arms up to block her face. Not like that would help much. 

And then she’s on the ground, everything is black but she’s not unconscious, something is on top of her. Someone. 

She waits a moment for the searing pain of a bullet wound to set in but it never comes. 

“Spencer!” She can hear someone yelling but it’s muffled, “Spencer says something.”

The weight is lifted off her suddenly, and she can see again, Spencer is then laid back on the ground by one of the agents, “Spencer, open your eyes?”

He shifts his weight and whispers, “Is she gone?”

They all look towards the open door, no one in sight, “Yeah Spence, she’s gone.”

His eyes widen suddenly, and he tries to sit up, “Fuck that hurt.”

“Spence stays down.” 

“I’m fine, I was wearing a prototype.” He says, 

“A prototype?” Sage asks,

“My wife Liz designs ultrathin armor,” Spencer says, “It’s supposed to stop anything short of a bazooka.”

They all pause a moment, before the tall blonde one says, “You were wearing kevlar this whole time?”

“It’s not Kevlar, it’s actually made of-”

“Spencer! Why didn’t you stop her!” 

“Well you guys weren’t wearing any, plus it doesn’t cover your face yet.” He says,

They help him to his feet, and he pulls off the sweater to reveal an admittedly very light layer of tough material, with a bullet caught in it, inches away from the seam, “That’s a little closer than I’d like.”

The three agents turn away once they’re satisfied Spencer is ok, to organize a search for Cat, Sage and him stand there awkwardly a moment.

“I’m sorry.” She says,

“It’s ok.” he replies surging, “You collected data and information and drew plausible conclusions. Cat is a master manipulator, she saw that you felt abandoned and used it against you, you’re not a profiler you couldn’t have seen through her, it’s not your fault.”

“I could be though.” Sage says, “A profiler.”

Spencer smiles, “A damn good one too.”


End file.
